Murphy a Semifinalist for the Groza Award

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Syracuse kicker Cole Murphy has been named one of the 20 semifinalists for the 2017 Lou Groza Award presented by the Orange Bowl. The list of semifinalists was released by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission on Thursday, Nov. 2.

Named for Pro Football Hall of Famer Lou "The Toe" Groza, the award is presented annually to the nation's most outstanding placekicker.

Of this year's 20 honorees, Murphy is one of three to make the semifinalist cut in multiple seasons. He is joined by two-time finalist Daniel Carlson of Auburn and Miami's Michael Badgley in that elite group. Murphy was previously chosen as a semifinalist as a freshman in 2014.

Murphy has connected on 16-of-18 (.889) field goals this season and converted 23-of-24 (.958) extra points. He has not missed a kick shorter than 40 yards, and he is 6-for-8 from beyond that distance, including a career-long, 53-yarder at Miami on Oct. 21.

The 6-3, 215-pound senior leads the ACC and ranks third nationally in field goals per game (2.0). Murphy's 16 makes so far in 2017 are tied for the third-most in the country. In addition, Murphy is second in the conference behind Louisville's Blanton Creque (.917) in field-goal percentage, and he is tied with Virginia Tech's Joey Slye for the ACC lead in kicking points (71).

For his career, Murphy ranks second on the Syracuse all-time record list with 55 field goals. Murphy also ranks fifth in school history in PATs made (107), seventh in field-goal percentage (.743) and fifth in scoring (272 points).

A panel of more than 100 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists, and current NFL kickers will select the three finalists for the award. The finalists will be announced on Nov. 21 and honored at the 26^th annual Lou Groza Collegiate Placekicker Awards Banquet on Dec. 4 in Palm Beach County. The same panel will vote again to determine the winner, who will be announced live on ESPN at The Home Depot College Football Awards Show Thursday, Dec 7.

For more information on the Lou Groza Award, visit www.lougrozaaward.com.

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